Gondola Gossip

The music business as a whole has changed a lot over the years. And, according to many insiders it's still evolving as we move forward with new ways to distribute and consume music in the Internet age. Although the when, where and how much money bands, artists and musicians make has changed… there are two things that will never change. One is… Music is expensive to create. And two is… there will always be haters.

Most ski towns have some form of live music venues hosting national recording acts performing original music all the way down to local musicians who play covers songs... and everything in between. Venues hosting live music should have a blanket license for all cover songs with performance rights organizations for acts to perform and profit from music they did not write, ensuring the original songwriter receives their royalties. The same is true if local musicians want to sell a cover song… they are required to obtain a license to ensure the rights and royalties of the original writer / publisher are protected.

Why is this important? Over time piracy, illegal downloads and performances limit opportunities for artists to fund the creation of music. One thing you need to know about the music industry is that studio time and tours are expensive to plan and produce. What has changed is that before you bought an entire album or CD for $15 to $20 dollars only to get the one or two songs you liked. Today you simply purchase the one song you like for only .99 cents. Factor in distribution, promotion and other costs and now the artist is making even less than .99 cents per song.

So who's a hater? A hater is a person who doesn't have anything nice to say, their criticisms are not constructive and often they make personal attacks or even appear to act jealous. Everyone knows a hater or two or maybe more… they're the person who always says they hate this song or band, or it's this song sucks or that band is a joke… and on and on. There are different kinds of haters and all haters are not the same. Many times haters can't write a song, they can't play a note and they don't have the courage to get on stage and perform.

You support Original Music and that's great! But, trashing bands and musicians who perform cover tunes isn't supporting original music. First, someone wrote the "original" songs they are playing and the original composer / songwriter should be compensated for the performances of their music. Second, the more bands and musicians who cover songs legally ultimately are helping the original writer at the same time… as long as the musicians and venues have the appropriate licenses to perform cover songs.

Don't be a hater. Instead of saying "they suck" and "I hate" why not simply change the focus to highlight the music and artists you do like? This changes the dynamic in two ways. First, it avoids making you appear small and petty, while not hurting people's feelings when you insult artists and music they enjoy… even if you may not. And second, in today's music business the bands and songs you do like need all the publicity and support they can get! So, do your best to be positive… and don't be a hater.